What are the general symptoms of hepatitis?
Hepatitis can be asymptomatic. A distinction is made between acute hepatitis and chronic hepatitis.
In addition, an infection that is initially asymptomatic can develop into a chronic infection: years later, severe symptoms may still develop.
If there are symptoms, they are similar to flu symptoms:
- fever
- tiredness
- loss of appetite
- nausea
- vomiting
- stomachache.
Other, more specific symptoms can also arise, such as yellowing of the skin and the eyes and darker urine (icterus or jaundice).
Because the symptoms of viral hepatitis are similar to those of other diseases, a blood test is essential to be able to make a diagnosis.
DID YOU KNOW? HCV is also known as the “silent killer”. Indeed, hepatitis C is often asymptomatic. If there are symptoms, these are usually extreme tiredness and, slightly less commonly, jaundice. It can take 20 to 30 years before complications arise.